9th grader drowns in central Vietnam field trip

The People's Committee of Ninh Son District on Wednesday said it has instructed the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Internal Affairs to work with the Tran Quoc Toan middle school to verify the incident.

On March 31, the school allowed 115 9th graders to go on a field trip at the Vinh Hy Bay, located around 45 km away from the school.

The school said the trip has been planned and already approved by parents. Accompanying the students on the trip included one parent and 18 teachers and staff of the school.

In the morning, the students had activities at the Rai Cave and the Nui Chua national reserve. At around 10 a.m., after moving to the nearby Vinh Hy tourism site, glass-bottom boats then took them out to the sea to watch coral reefs.

The students then returned and went to the beach at the tourism site. Four students then drowned. When people took them to shore, two students were taken to the Ninh Thuan general hospital for treatment. One student died within the afternoon.

Field trips are common school activities, and if they require taking the students to faraway locations, schools would need to build plans for the trip and receive approval from higher management and parents of the students.